Thieves of Mercy: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea

Samuel Bowater #2

by James L. Nelson

Having survived the bloody Battle of New Orleans and the loss of their ironclad Yazoo River, captain Samuel Bowater, engineer Hieronymus Taylor, and the survivors of their crew are given new orders -- take command of an ironclad warship being built in Memphis, Tennessee. Bowater and his men take passage upriver from "Mississippi" Mike Sullivan, one of the wild, undisciplined captains of the River Defense Squadron, only to find, on their arrival, that their ship is not even half built and the enemy is closing fast. Against their better judgment, Bowater and crew join forces with the mercurial Sullivan on board his ad hoc river gunship the General Page. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Confederates once again fling themselves bravely at the overwhelming power of the Yankee invaders. The deadly back-and-forth fight along the Mississippi ends at last in the massive naval battle of Memphis, and the near-suicidal attempt by the Confederates to hold back the Northern flood. Filled with wild characters and heart-pounding action, and set against the bold backdrop of the Civil War, Thieves of Mercy is a worthy successor to the W. Y. Boyd Award-winning novel Glory in the Name, the book Bernard Cornwell lauded as "by far, the best Civil War novel I've read."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nautical, American Civil War, Civil War

480 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2005

About the author

James L. Nelson (1962-) is an American historical nautical novelist. He was born in Lewiston, Maine. In 1980, Nelson graduated from Lewiston High School. Nelson attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for two years, and then transferred to UCLA, with the ambition of becoming a film director. Nelson, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter Betsy lived for two years in Steubenville, Ohio, while Lisa attended Franciscan University. They also have two boys, Nate and Jack. They now live in Harpswell, Maine, where Nelson continues to write full time.

Reviews

[James Marinero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serendipity strikes again! This book is another gem I picked up at a charity shop (sorry James Nelson, no money for you but at least I can write an honest review). Another author/series to follow and enjoy.

I knew only the basics about the details of the US Civil War, but this book has really given me a taste for Nelson's series featuring Sam Bowater. OK, I do know a bit about sailing and the related content is plausible and accurately described using the correct terminology. Armored paddle steamers is a whole new topic for me (along with the battles on the Mississippi River), and as far as I can tell very well researched and portrayed.

Enough of the contemporaneous tech., what about the story? There's plenty of action from female spies and intertwining plotlines engaging sharply painted characters in detailed action sequences as the story switches back and forth between Norfolk and Memphis.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more stories in the series.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another James Nelson winner

Civil War on the Mississippi River with the confederate river boat fleet with aside to the Virginia ironclads defense of Richmond. A real page turner that holds you till the last shot is fired.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

He really does do a great job with these books. The characters are fun and interesting. The interweaving plots keep the pacing lively. And the historical details seem accurate, and informative.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the series, covers the Confederate abandonment of Norfolk and the pincer movement of the Yankees north and south on the Mississippi through 1862 (brief epilogue propels the action up through the momentous date of July 4, 1863).

Broader humor (well handled but not greatly done) but less tautly drawn battle action makes this slightly less satisfying than the premier novel.